Even though Boulder's Taylor Phinney already had finished his 27-mile Olympic time trial by the time it was aired on TV on Wednesday morning, cycling fans around Boulder still tuned in to watch the hometown rider make another run at a medal.

Gathered on couches in front of several large-screen TVs, fans at the Boulder Cycling Lounge at the Twenty Ninth Street mall cheered as Phinney crossed the finish line.

Phinney was the second to cross the line, but two cyclists behind him, who had started later, posted better times, and he ultimately finished fourth, barely missing the podium for the second time in London. On Saturday, Phinney finished fourth in the road race.

Several fans gather at Boulder Cycling to watch Taylor Phinney compete in the Olympic Time Trials in Boulder, Colorado August 1, 2012.
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MARK LEFFINGWELL
)

But despite just missing a medal -- again -- Phinney's fans in Boulder said the young rider has a bright career ahead of him.

"He's only 22, and he only started riding about a year before his first Olympics (in 2008), so it's pretty impressive," said Jim Potter, who said he used to work with Phinney's father Davis -- an Olympic cyclist himself. "But when you consider his parents, he's got the genetics."

Potter, who lives in Longmont and works at Vecchio's Bicicletteria in Boulder, said he is a big cycling fan, but watched mainly to see Phinney race. Since the event was tape-delayed on NBC, he made sure to avoid any spoilers.

"I stayed away from the TV and the Internet," he said. "It's nice to see different restaurants and coffee shops doing different things for the race. It's good support."

Buck Niehoff and his friend Giovanni Guarascio said they wanted to watch the race with other cycling fans.

"That's why we came here instead of watching it at home," he said. "It's neat to see all the local enthusiasts."

Niehoff, who splits his time between Boulder and Cincinnati, said Phinney stayed at his place in Boulder during training in June while Niehoff was in Cincinnati. Both he and Guarascio also are heavily involved with the Davis Phinney Foundation and are in Colorado to ride in this weekend's Copper Triangle race, which will benefit the foundation.

"We've been pretty close to the foundation and the events," said Guarascio, who long has been a fan of the Phinneys, but is visiting Boulder for the first time. While they didn't get to see Phinney medal, they are confident it is only a matter of time.

"He did pretty well," Niehoff said. "I thought he was going to win, but, like everyone is saying, he is still only 22."

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